Jersey diners see no slack in egg orders in face of recall

Alexandra Pais/New Jersey Local News ServiceTedd Saa enjoys his lunch that includes eggs over easy at the Summit Diner on Wednesday. Diners across the state say they've seen no fewer orders of eggs despite a recall of products from a pair of Iowa dairies after salmonella outbreaks.

SUMMIT — Despite national concerns over salmonella contamination in eggs, New Jersey residents aren’t walking on eggshells when ordering breakfast — at least not yet.

Diner owners across the state reported Wednesday that egg orders continue unabated, even if proprietors feel compelled to prove that their eggs are untainted with letters from their distributors looking to put fears to rest.

This month, more than 500 million eggs produced by two Iowa farms were recalled due to salmonella contamination, which might be responsible for nearly 2,000 reported cases of poisoning nationwide since May, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But so far, the tainted eggs haven’t made their way to the East Coast as industry regulators scramble to pull cases from store shelves.

That leaves New Jersey egg enthusiasts to enjoy their usual breakfasts, even if diner owners are taking no chances.

“When I first heard about the recall, I was concerned about it,” said Patty Colaprico, the co-owner of Sayreville’s Peterpank Diner. She quickly called her Jackson-based distributor, which, as a local farm, hasn’t been affected. Besides, she said, the local board of health visited her diner soon after the recall was announced to verify that her eggs were salmonella-free.

Other diners proudly produce letters of safety certification from their distributors as they look to assuage potentially anxious customers.

At The Ritz in Livingston, a letter from the diner’s Pennsylvania-based distributor is available for patrons to view upon request, said Marion Feldman, the restaurant’s owner. Jim Greberis,owner of the iconic Summit Diner, said that he’ll post a notice in his front window as soon as a safety letter arrives from his distributor next week.

In any event, customers continue to order eggs.

“We keep serving them up,” reported Daniel Hicks, a waiter who worked the breakfast shift yesterday at The After in Mount Olive. In fact, Hicks said, there haven’t been any differences in customers’ ordering habits even as details of the recall have emerged over the past few weeks.

As he enjoyed a plate of eggs over easy at the Summit Diner yesterday, Morristown resident Tedd Saa, 45, dismissed fears of widespread contamination, saying that reports can be exaggerated.

“I think the news goes to extremes,” he said.

And for Eric Vaughn, 29, of Chatham, eggs are ingrained in too many breakfast staples to simply give up.

“It’s kind of hard to stop eating eggs,” he said.

Still, if customers are truly worried, the Summit diner owner Greberis was more than happy to suggest alternatives.

“If you don’t feel comfortable,” he said, “have pancakes.”

Local News Service reporters Aliza Appelbaum, Dan Goldberg and Stephen Stirling contributed to this story.